The Other Guys is a ridiculous and over the top buddy-cop crime comedy that succeeds for that very reason. I won’t say it is particularly memorable, but it is definitely an entertaining night out at the movies.

The film starts off with Detective Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Detective Highsmith (Samuel L Jackson) who are two hero cops that are highly respected and admired by all. In the opening sequence they are chasing a drug cartel and manage to leave a path of destruction behind them, before the criminals are caught. They do things “their way”, but they get the job done.

Then there are the other guys. Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) is a forensics accountant who prefers to stay behind his desk instead of getting any action on the street. His reluctant partner is Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), a detective who has been stuck with a desk job ever since he accidentally shot Derek Jeter during the 2003 World Series. Hoitz also has a tendency to shout out “i’m a peacock, you’ve got to let me fly” every now and then.

Gamble and Hoitz start to investigate a shady businessman by the name of Dave Ershon (Steve Coogan) and the deeper they get into the case, the more they find themselves being kidnapped and shot at.

Gamble is married to his beautiful wife Sheila (Eva Mendes) who he only considers to be “plain” to the amazement of his partner. Mark Wahlberg overplays his character too much to the point where I got bored of it. I don’t find him that funny as a comic actor, but when he finally gets some action in this film is when he seems the most formidable as an actor.

Will Ferrell however, is definitely at his comedic best in this movie. Most of the films biggest laughs involve him. There is a good cop-bad cop scenario which is completely over the top but hysterical. A backstory about his pimping days in college is also hilarious. There is also random dialogue between Gamble and Hoitz throughout the film, most of which is completely non-sequiter which makes it even more comical.

Michael Keaton is also a lot of fun, playing their Captain Gene Mauch, who also has another job as the store manager at Bed Bath and Beyond. There’s a running joke with their Captain throughout the movie that involves the music group TLC, which I thought was very funny.

The Other Guys isn’t a movie that warrants repeat viewing, but it’s definitely a movie that will grab some laughs and is worth the watch. It’s also Will Ferrell back in shape at his comedic best. 2 /5 stars

Disney and Pixar have a winning formula on animated films which all started with Toy Story. Since then, they have released Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E and UP all of which were huge hits with adult and younger audiences alike.

Toy Story 3 is no exception. Many critics have hailed this film as even better than the original and I think I agree.

Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) have outgrown the boy who cherished them as his favorite toys as a child. He is now grown up and heading off to college. While clearing out his belongings from his room, the toys are accidentally thrown out to the garbage.

Adventure ensues and the toys all end up at a day care center where they meet a pink teddy bear and a group of other toys. The toys realize that the boy has no use for them anymore and see a new life at the day care center with the children there. Woody refuses to leave his owner and heads back home but the rest of the toys (including Buzz) stay at the care center.

However, soon the toys at the day care center realize they are just being used by the pink teddy bear as punching bags for the much younger kids at the day care to play with, so the teddy bear and his group of toys will be left alone.

Woody returns to rescue Buzz and the rest of the gang and get them back to their owner before he leaves to College.

The film is full of spectacular action sequences. A scene stealer is Ken (of Ken and Barbie fame) who is voiced by Michael Keaton and played with cocky charm. A cat walk number that he does to impress Barbie, is of particular delight.

Towards the end, the film turns into a much more darker tone that I can imagine much younger children would find quite scary. There is a scene that does a riveting job of touching on the “humanity” of Woody, Buzz and the other toys, even though they are in fact not human. The film ends with a soaring finale that is an emotional punch to the chest and leaves you feeling wholly satisfied.

I don’t know if they will do a Toy Story 4, but if they don’t then they could not have had a more fitting finale to one of the best animated film franchises ever produced. 5/5 stars.